Righteous in God's Sight – Part 1

Here is another message from Michael this week. He writes: We recently celebrated Martin Luther King Day. Where was the vision of Dr. King and of the Founding Fathers who dared to dream of a great nation whose foundation was upon firm reliance upon Divine Providence backed by the truth of the Word of God? Men and women often feel wronged, slighted, and victimized by social injustice. What happens when the biblical virtues that we have stood for as American citizens have been trampled on and declared "politically incorrect"?  

If you answer a fool like a fool, what does that make you? If you recompense evil for evil, you are playing in the devil's ballpark. However, our Lord whom we follow, when He was suffered wrong did not respond in like manner. Only God defines "rights" and "wrongs" according to the righteous standard of his Word. Many of us have been indoctrinated by our culture and our environment to oppose God's definition of what is right. However, the laws, rules, and regulations of man do not define righteousness. True righteousness is purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. Righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion. Applied to God, it is the perfection or holiness of his nature; exact rectitude; faithfulness. It is the active and passive obedience of Christ, by which the law of God is fulfilled. Righteousness is the cause of our justification – Webster’s 1928 Dictionary.

If the remnant of God's people of a society do not understand God's righteousness and stand in the gap against the evil of this world, there will never be enough police to arrest the law breakers. No society can survive and prosper unless godly men act according to God's righteous standard when the need arises. Therefore, quit ye (conduct yourselves) like men. Be strong in The Lord and in the power of His might. Although the "politically correct" culture of this fallen world stands against the righteous way of our Lord Jesus Christ, He only is the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by Him. The time has come when those who choose to follow the narrow way through the narrow gate to Jesus Christ are diametrically opposed to the broad way of our politically correct secular culture. Intimacy with Jesus Christ is the narrow way...  to come into his presence and to know his heart.

Most people in our culture do not have a good role model that leads to following Christ.  Most of us did not have a godly father who modeled the attributes of their Heavenly Father. Therefore to turn against the darkness of the world, we must intentionally, purposefully, and deliberately develop an intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus – 1 Timothy 2:5.

To defeat the sin in our lives, we must have a passion in our hearts for that which is righteous in God's sight...  to stand in the midst of the spiritual battle, taking up the shield of faith to extinguish the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Let's finish Michael's timely topic of "righteousness" tomorrow.
In Christ, Brian